Twice Shy
by likesunshinetome
Summary: Rose Hathaway just can't win. A rising senior in high school with a tendency for partying and boys, especially worsened by the death of a friend, Rose is spiraling out of control. She's dragged away kicking and screaming - to stay with the Belikovs, in Montana, of all places - where she might just learn something about healing, friendship, and a man named Dimitri.
1. Once Bitten

_Rose_

It wasn't the feeling of the party I minded at all. Actually, I kind of liked it. I thrived in the heat - some mix of the Pennsylvania summer, bodies pressing against mine, and the tequila. Half drunk, half naked - none of it fazed me anymore. Flashing lights and pulsing music was enough to give anyone a migraine, but it became my habitat, or at least an ecosystem where I could thrive as an invasive species. _So that's what I took out of tenth grade biology._ With someone's hands roaming my sides, schoolwork eventually slipped my mind. I briefly entertained the thought of staying like this all night, until someone dragged me out of the high that came with dancing on a guy who doesn't even know your name.

That someone, certainly Adrian, if I was placing bets, shoved away the boy I had been dancing against. I sighed at the momentary loss of warmth and movement, discontented to be alone, even just for a second. I knew my bet was right when Adrian's body replaced the boy's, pressing against my back, toying at the same game we had been playing the whole summer, and a few good months before that. It was the same repetition of actions - his hands digging into my waist, pulling me closer, me grinding back against him in retaliation, him moaning against my neck.

"You just never get tired of this, do you?" It was a light tease, but it made me flinch anyway. _What is 'this,' Adrian? _The question lived on the tip of my tongue, it had for months, but I cowered out of asking during every drive, every party, every night I spent with him. I squeezed my eyes shut, just to clear my mind, but it was stuck. Stuck.

"Broken record, I guess," I whispered, unsure if I was responding to him or my own thoughts. Adrian's laugh rumbled against my neck, where he kissed and nipped at the exposed skin, up and down, over and over.

"Then let's get out of here so I can fix you up, huh?" His hands moved suggestively down my body, back up, all over. I felt vaguely like putty in his hands, and I let him move me every which way. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out the side door, away from the heat and noise, and into his overly-expensive car.

The night air helped to sober me, at least enough to snap back into myself. _You've done this before, Rose, _I reminded myself, settling into the passenger seat. I spared one quick glance back at the party, still at full swing at two in the morning. People piled in and out, cups in hand, no one seeming to have any intention of leaving. There was something to be said for staying the whole night, but Adrian and I had perfected the art of getting out before being roped into clean up. Adrian slid into the car, looking between me and the house, a knowing smile crossing over his face.

"We really have this down to a science, don't we?" I rolled my eyes, reclining my seat as he traced the familiar route back to my house. Three or four parties every week, always his friends, occasionally mine, always alcohol, sometimes other stuff, always kissing, never sex. I tallied up our summer together under flashing streetlights, as he swung by the front of my house.

"When'd we get boring, Adrian?" He gave me a wry laugh, and pressed a kiss to my cheek. _Just like an old married couple._

"I'd hardly call us boring, little love, but I think maybe -" He stopped mid-sentence, and nodded at my house. "Is there a light on in there?" I turned to get a better look, hoping he was just seeing things. He was probably high enough to, anyway. _Fuck. _I guess not. A light was definitely on - probably the kitchen light in the back. And my mother never forgot to turn off a light. _Still, nothing I can do about it now_. I turned back to Adrian, considering his question.

"I guess there is." With a shrug, I leaned into him, expecting the night to end the same way every night before it had. He put a hand on my shoulder, holding me back, trying to peer into my house.

"Why's you light on?" I had a few choice answers, most of all, _how would I know, dumbass, I've been with you this whole time_, but I kept that to myself.

"Does it matter?" I asked, again trying to get my mouth on his mouth. For perhaps the first time in his life, Adrian was interested in something over me. I pouted, hoping to recapture his attention.

"Do you think your parents stayed up?" At this point, he got a full-on laugh out of me. He caught my chin, bringing me eye level with him, halfway through my fit. He smiled back at me, exacerbated. "What? What's so funny about that?"

"_Adrian_," I had to pause to catch my breath, practically incredulous. "You think that after, what, five months of this? That my parents started caring tonight? You must be higher than I thought, babe." Adrian seemed to accept this, his eyes returning their gaze to my lips.

"So you'll kiss me now, then?" My words slipped out, almost breathless, as he leaned across the center console, the house and it's light momentarily forgotten.

"Uh huh," he nodded, brushing his lips against mine, mine murmuring the words back to him. We kissed like that for awhile, soft and warm lips brushing against each other. Adrian was good - not exceptional, not life-changing - but sweet. His hands wandered and left goosebumps in their wake, finally pausing at the hem of my shirt. And like every other night, I cut him off here, between kisses.

"You - mhm - you know I'm not taking off - fuck - taking off my clothes, Adrian." He pulled himself off me, shutting his eyes and throwing his head back in mock-frustration. I piped up again, trying to restore a little bit of confidence."It was a nice try, though. You almost had me this time." He let out a small snort.

"The things you do to me, little love." I sighed, putting my hand on the side of his face. He opened his eyes and returned my gaze with an award-winning smile. Emotion washed over me, suddenly, and hit me right in the gut. _You deserve the world, Adrian_, I wanted to tell him, but I settled on returning the smile, albeit not as bright. _Where the hell did that come from? Why am I so out of it today?_

"I'll see you on Tuesday, then?" I asked, reaching for the door handle. He grabbed my other hand, nodding.

"I'll see you then. Text me in the morning." He squeezed my hand, and smiled at me one last time as I opened my door and slid out. I winked at him through the car windshield as I crossed in front, climbing the stoop to my front door and unlocking it. Vaguely, I could see him blow me a kiss, before starting his car and driving off. Half a summer spent, another half coming.

By the time I collapsed into my house, I had forgotten about the kitchen light. _They couldn't have actually waited up, right? _The shuffling of chairs and feet proved me wrong, however. I didn't even bother entertaining the idea of bolting up the stairs, I just leaned against the sturdy front door, resigned to having been caught. My mother and father walked into our foyer, not even a moment later, disappointment apparent on their faces.

"You finally decided to come home." My mother noted dryly, borderline uninterested. _Why'd you stay up, then? _I shrugged, unsure of what I was even supposed to say to that. My father, instead, reached his hand out, trying to bridge the gap between me and them.

"We were so worried about you, Rosemarie. We gave you that curfew for a reason. We couldn't go to sleep not knowing if you were okay." I managed to bite back a laugh at him, which was impressive for how ridiculous that statement was. _Maybe I'm so drunk that this is all a hallucination. _I couldn't bite my tongue, though.

"You've been doing it fine for months," I reminded them, bitterness staining my tone It's not like this was the first time I'd stayed out. I pulled back my hand as my mother turned to my dad.

"I told you she'd be uncooperative." She spoke plainly, although her voice dropped, as though I wouldn't be able to hear her. _Maybe she just doesn't care._

"I'm standing right here!" I protested, my voice raising and wavering in the face of her calmness. I shook my head, almost surprised. _I should've seen this coming_. I cocked my head at her, stupidly unable to keep my mouth shut. "You really do not give a shit, do you?"

"Maybe I'm just tired of your bullshit, Rose. Maybe I've just decided it's not worth trying with you anymore!" I staggered back, almost like she had hit me. _It wouldn't have been the first time_. My father looked almost as shocked as I felt.

"Janine, I don't think that came out how you meant it and I think you may want to clarify exactly -" My mother cut him off, returning to her monotone, thoughtless voice.

"It doesn't exactly matter, does it? She won't be at home with us long enough for it to matter." My world stilled. I could hear my father's voice interjecting, just as background noise.

"I thought we agreed that we wouldn't bring that up until a better time." My father looked pointedly at my mother. They spoke over each other, rapid-fire, about plans and flights and dates. I probably wouldn't have been able to keep up sober, so I definitely couldn't keep up now. Anxiety bubbled in my, until it exploded over the top.

"_Hey!"_ My raised voice was enough to catch both of their attentions. I breathed heavily, shaking my head. "What the _fuck_ did that mean?" They both stared at me blankly, remembering that I had no say in whatever these plans were. My father's gaze softened, and I could see him deciding on what to say.

"_Kizim,_ we know you've been going through a rough time these past few months." _Well that's an understatement._ "We thought it'd be best for you to get away, at least for a little while." I scoffed, not understanding the fuss.

"We're going on vacation?" My mother huffed, as though it was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. I leaned back against the door. _Jesus Christ, I'm gonna get a headache._

"We're sending you _away,_ Rose. For your senior year." I nodded my head, trying to understand. _It's too early in the morning for this to be sticking._

"So you're sending me to a boarding school to finish parenting me because you've done such a shit job so far?" Her face twisted unpleasantly, nearly laughing at me.

"As if we'd ever give you the freedom to go to boarding school. You'd be a pregnant alcoholic and get kicked out within the month." It stung, but I was less concerned with her _stellar_ opinion on me and more worried about where I was supposedly going.

"So what are you gonna do with me? Kick me out?" I ran halfway up the stairs, gesturing wildly. "Go right ahead! I've got a fucking thousand other places I'd rather be!"

"Don't worry, you'll have a pace to stay." Her tone was bitter, not totally unlike my own. "In Montana, with the Belikovs. Maybe you could even leave here early! It'd certainly be a weight off my shoulders. In fact, nothing would make me happier." My voice dropped, becoming icy for the first time all night. I shook my head back and forth, in disbelief.

"If you think I'm going to Montana, you must be higher than I've been all _fucking _summer." Her jaw nearly dropped at my admission of guilt, but what did I have to lose? I left them like that, running up the rest of their stairs, and slamming my door shut. I couldn't get the image of her mouth half open out of my head. _Catch flies, bitch_. The more I dwelled on it, though, the less humourous I found it.

_This isn't happening to me. This is a nightmare. This can't be real. Was a night of partying worth getting kicked out? Was twenty? Was a summer's worth? _I fell back onto my bed, trying to retrace my night, play it over from the beginning and figure out if this was actually happening to me. _I should've stayed at the party. Or in the car, with Adrian. Or at Adrian's house. Doesn't matter now, I guess_. I finally sighed, resigning to the cold bleakness of my room.

Yeah, it wasn't the feeling of the party I minded at all. It was the silence that came after.


	2. Let's Blow This Pop Stand

_Rose_

Waking up the next morning was an unpleasant surprise. Sun slipped through my curtains and bounced off every surface in my room, creating a golden glow that anyone who wasn't _this_ hungover would enjoy. I grabbed a water bottle and advil off my bedside table, where they'd lived for the past five months. I shuffled across my room in search of food, hoping that would help, and when there was none, I decided to just go to the kitchen. We fought far too often for me to avoid my parents every time.

I acknowledged my father as he sat at the kitchen table, reading a paper. He gave me the decency of a few minutes of quiet, enough time to pop a slice of bread in the toaster. If the room was silent, though, it was a surefire sign my mother wasn't home. Questions gnawed at me, simmering as my father sat silently, with my foot tapping impatiently on the floor.

"So are you gonna explain to me what happened?" I asked, sliding with my toast into the seat across from my father. I was desperate to seem nonchalant, but if the foot tapping didn't give me away, I was certain the lip biting would. After a few seconds, which each lasted a lifetime, my dad snapped the paper down, softening his gaze when I caught his eye. I couldn't exactly read his expression, which just made my foot bounce faster. _What the hell, old man?_

"I have a friend, she lives out in Montana. She has a daughter about your age, a few older kids. Your mother and I decided, _together_, that perhaps it would be best for you to stay with her in your senior year." _So I guess that wasn't a hallucination_. "Now, _kizim_, I know it's not what you want, but you're not thriving here. You're going down the wrong path! We just want to give you the opportunity for a fresh start, and I think you need to get out of this town. I can tell everything that's happened here is holding you back." He was calm, kind, even, making it nearly impossible for me to respond in anger.

"So, what, you decided to just upend my life? You want me to forget about the friends I have here?" I sighed, squeezing my eyes shut. "Besides, I can guarantee your my mother doesn't have the same reasoning for sending me away as you do." _There's that old Hathaway venom._

"Your mother didn't mean what she said last night. She was just frustrated at your lack of regard for our rules." I found that laughable, heat rising to my cheeks. I couldn't help but slap my hand on the table in response.

"She had five months to pick a fight about that! She told me she was happy to send me away because she _is_, baba! But I won't go!" My indignation was not well received. My father's voice rose with mine, commanding the room, making even the plates on the table rattle in fear.

"Well it doesn't matter now! It doesn't matter what she thinks because you _are_ going away and that's _final!_" I closed my eyes, considering. _I'm too damn stubborn for my own good. _I stood up, ready to leave this hellhole of a house.

"Then how fucking soon can I get out of here?" I spat, nearly running out the front door, letting it slam behind me.

Tears had been running down my face before I even got out, but it was a full sob by the time I was halfway down the street. My only reaction was to do the same thing that had gotten me in all this trouble in the first place - call Adrian.

"Hey, little love, I was just about to text -" I cut him off, uninterested in small talk.

"Adrian, I need a ride." I deadpanned, knowing that if we got into this on the phone he'd never want to hang up.

"Is someone having a bad hangover?" His sticky-sweet voice made my stomach churn. _I will kill you, Adrian_. I pressed at my temples, letting out a long sigh.

"Not in the mood," I warned him, spinning to figure out where my walk had taken me. _I must look insane_. "Look, can you just come get me? I'm on the corner of Oak and West Bend. I'm sure your fancy GPS will be able to find me." He muttered an agreement, leaving me to wait. I plopped down on the grass, right under the street sign, trying to enjoy the view. _Might be the last time in awhile you get to see it. _

I live in a nice area. Two parents working full-time jobs will do that for you. They got the house, the yard, the white picket fence. I spent my childhood afternoons playing with neighborhood kids and my summers at sleepaway camp. I got good enough grades, even when my temper landed me hot water. I had friends. I had a _life. I guess sometimes that's not enough, Rose. _

"Will you get in and explain what the hell is happening?" Adrian's voice floated through his open window, along with the music of some indie-rock-revivalist that literally only Adrian could be into. I popped one eye open to look at him, considering, for a second, how the hell I was gonna even tell him. _Just rip the band-aid off, Hathaway. _I slid into the car, and gave him a moment to start rambling before I cut him off.

"I'm leaving." I stared straight ahead, out the window, unable to look him in the eyes. _This codependency thing is really coming back to bite me in the ass, huh?_

"What?" He asked, his tone dripping in confusion. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to face him, and asked again, "What the fuck does that mean?"

"It means," I sighed, unsure. _What does this mean_. "It means my parents are forcing me to spend my senior year in, in Montana, I think? With one of my father's friends. They think you're a bad influence. They think I need a fresh start." My tears bubbled up again, and Adrian's eyes softened.

"I don't think I've ever seen you cry, little love." I shook my head, snorting. _Leave it to Adrian to make me laugh right now._

"Yeah, right, like you didn't drag me through the first few months after Mason passed." He tsked, making me smile yet again.

"And here I was, thinking your memory had gone to shit from all that drinking." Full-bodied and obnoxious, another fit of laughter slipped out of me. _I'm going to miss this the most. Laughing in Adrian's car with his shit music and the A.C. cranked up too high. Wasting gas. Wasting time._

"When do you leave?" I winced, _I really made that one worse for myself, didn't I?_ He reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me out of my head with a gentle squeeze.

"I pitched a pretty big fit, so probably as soon as my parents can pack me up and ship me off." I paused, trying to do some math. "I mean, I only really found out about this early this morning, so I need at least a week or so to pack, right? I'll be gone for the entire year." Adrian nodded, then shrugged.

"How are you gonna tell everybody?" _Fuck. _I threw my head back into my seat, biting off a scream.

"I forgot about that part," I admitted, wheels turning in my head, gnawing at my lips as I searched for a solution. "Do you think I could call an emergency diner meeting? Me, you, Eddie, Mia, then we can call Lissa and Christian from there?" Adrian typed everyone into his phone, I guess trying to make plans. He squinted at something on the screen, confused.

"What about Jailbait?" _Fuck, again. _

"Add her in, too. And make sure someone can drive her." I sighed, unable to cope with the fact that my life had utterly gone to shit. "There's another person I totally let down." Adrian sighed, putting a reassuring hand on my knee.

"You could never let her down. She totally admires you."

"Yeah, and what a great example I'm setting, getting so out of control I'm kicked out of my house before I even finish high school!" I paused, letting my temper simmer a little. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be taking this out on you."

"It's alright, little love. This shouldn't be happening to you." I nodded in agreement, as Adrian checked his phone again. "Everyone's gonna meet us there in a half-hour. Mia's gotta Jill."

Adrian started the car back up, beginning our drive to the diner. I was thankful for the silence he afforded me, because I needed to figure out what the _fuck_ I was going to tell my closest friends, especially Lissa. _How do you tell your best friend since kindergarten that you're not finishing senior year with her? How do you tell her you're missing a year's worth of memories, anniversaries, parties, banquets, dances, a graduation? How do you tell her over the phone?_

I was pulled out of my anxious spiral by Adrian swinging us into a parking spot. We went in and grabbed a table early, I passed the time waiting by trying to pick out all the things I miss about this place. _The crappy eggs. The kind waitress. The fancy display cakes. The funny signs hanging up about coffee and other drugs. The way my friends look shoved into the corner booth._

Eddie's entrance pulled my attention, with Mia and Jill pilling in not long after. With a few greetings and buttons pressed on Adrian's phone, Lissa and Christian were there too. Everyone gave me expectant stares, while I struggled with where to start.

"So I'm the one who called this meeting," I reminded them, looking all around the table, even though they already knew that, _stupid stupid stupid_, "My parents are sending me away, guys. They decided I'm too wild and they can't handle me, so they're shipping me off to stay with some random family in Montana - and, and not just for the summer, for the year. I'm gonna be gone for our entire senior year." Tears began to slip down my face, again, but I couldn't help it. Lissa looked equally upset, and everyone else wore faces with varying degrees of shock. Adrian caught my eye and frowned, while I just gave everyone a moment to let it sink in.

"Before I get back?" Lissa's voice wavered, making me wish even more I could change the answer.

"Yeah, Liss. I'm so sorry. I don't have an exact date, but I'm guessing in about a week." I looked around at everyone else's face, trying to gather the courage to say some goodbyes. _I'll probably have to spend the rest of my time packing, anyway. _I ignored a call from my father, remembering the tantrum I'd thrown this morning. _If I'm not grounded, that is._

"Look, guys, I don't know how soon I'm leaving or if I'll even be allowed to leave the house again before I go, so I just want to say some goodbyes now, while we're all here together. You guys already know I love you, so try not to make me cry, alright?" I joked, but it fell a little flat considering the scenario. I turned first to Jill, holding a hand out to her.

"Jill, you are like the little sister I never had, and that's not gonna change, no matter how far away I am. I'll write up that high school survival guide for you, I promise. Otherwise," I paused, looking around the circle as I considered my options. _Eddie's a nice boy, _I reminded myself, settling on him. "I'm putting Eddie in charge of being you older brother in school. He'll probably protect you better than I could have, anyway. And you have to be good, Jill. Don't turn out like me, promise?" Jill was too choked up with tears to respond, but wrapped her pinky-finger around mine anyway. _A promise is a promise, Jilly._ I turned to Mia, who was smiling through teary eyes.

"I'm sorry for every awful thing I'd ever said to you," I joked, even though we'd both apologized for the first half of the past year like eighteen times. "I'm glad you're my friend, Mia. I'm _really_ glad you're not my enemy anymore. There's no one I'd rather hurl snowballs at, you know." I told her, and she laughed openly.

"You really deserved that one," she reminded me, pulling me back into a snowy wonderland where I wasn't being dragged away from the friends I loved. The memory almost made me smile. It made Lissa, though, burst into a puddle of tears over the video-call. _I guess I won't be saving her for last, then._

"Aw, Liss, don't cry!" I said empathetically, as if I hadn't been doing the same thing all morning. "You know I love you, Lissa. And as much as I wanted to finish out my senior year with you, no amount of miles will keep us from being soul-sisters. I promise, I'm never leaving you alone, no matter how sick and tired of me you get. And I'll try to be back for every holiday and break I can. You're my best friend for life." I reminded her finally, tugging at those stupid matching necklaces we had bought in middle school and hadn't taken off since. It almost earned me a laugh, as she untucked her own. She smiled sadly, giving up a sigh.

"I'm gonna miss you so much, you know." I returned her smile, trying to make sense of this entire fucked-up situation.

"We'll call all the time," I promised. "You'll hardly know I'm gone." I turned then, to Christian, surprisingly upset that I'd be leaving him, too.

"You think you can handle her all by yourself?" My challenge was met my laughs all around. Christian nodded.

"I think so, but it'll be tough without you here, Rosie." I scrunched up my face at the nickname.

"You take good care of her, pyro, and I might actually miss you." He smiled at me, mouthing back 'I will.' _Well that's one less thing to worry about._

Finally, I turned to Eddie. He was sitting immediately to my left, and held my gaze in silence, as we sat there, considering each other and our life-long friendship. I nearly opened my mouth to speak, but he beat me to it, placing a calming hand on my shoulder.

"We're gonna be okay, Rose." He said, nodding his head reassuringly, both for me and for him.

"Will you visit him extra, for me?" Eddie's eyes watered, and I had already been crying, but we both ignored it.

"Of course. Let me know if hed've liked Montana, alright?" Mason was about three-quarters to visiting all the states when he died. Eddie and I promised to get the last fourteen in his honor.

_And that's why this is so hard,_ I realized. _I'm the second friend they're losing in the last six months. We're dropping like flies, Mase._

After rounds and rounds of 'I love you' and hugging, Adrian and I were back on our way to my house.

"So I don't get a goodbye?" Adrian asked, glancing between me and the red light. I playfully shoved his shoulder, rolling my eyes.

"You already got yours, it was getting to see me breakdown at eight in the morning, dummy." I reminded him, but then sombered for a second. "I _will_ miss you though, Adrian. I'll miss you all."

"We'll miss you too, little love." His voice was soft, rounding the corner to my street. He pulled into my driveway, with its cars gone and the house's lights off. I opened the door, but then turned back to him once more.

"Throw a party in my honor, would ya?" I asked, throwing him a lopsided smile. He laughed, and for one brief moment, we radiated joy.

It didn't last, though. I got a text from my father, before I even managed to unlock the front door.

**You're leaving in four days.**

_Fuck._


	3. No Place Like Home

_Dimitri_

I was rolling out my shoulders as I stepped through the door, maybe a half hour after midnight. Sixteen hour shifts are always rough, no matter how used to them I get, and it's only made worse by the fact that I knew I'd get hell tomorrow for missing that dinner with the new girl.

_Yebat!_ The new girl. I'd almost forgotten.

I locked the front door behind me, considering how to make that up to my mother as I walked towards the back of the house and into the kitchen. I passed by the glass back door, pausing when I saw a figure shift just outside the door.

I was hopeful in the fact that it wasn't a stranger - she seemed too familiar, and last I'd checked, burglars don't just sit and watch the stars from your back porch.

So this must be the new girl.

She was not what I made her out to be in my head. Even from behind, I could see it: long, chestnut hair, down and tangled, smooth, tan skin littered with bruises and scars, she had the posture of someone who had been taught to sit straight but spent most of her life actively ignoring the lesson.

I almost hated to interrupt her reprieve. She seemed peaceful, just now, and from the very little I'd overheard about her, that wasn't too common. And I'm not a curious man but once, just this once, I'll make an exception for her. I couldn't help myself. I slid open the door.

Yet I paused in the doorway, halfway in and halfway out. She startled at the noise, but she tried to cover it as quickly as it happened by throwing me a wary glance over her shoulder.

"Are you running away?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her, and she laughed without humor. It was almost a sweet noise, still. I stepped out of the house and slid the door back closed in response. I wasn't sure if I was invited to sit with her, or if she even wanted to talk to me at all. I reminded standing, as she turned to face the yard again.

"If I was, do you think I'd be sitting here right now? No bags, no shoes, no jacket?" I nodded, conceding to her logic. She slipped into a lighter tone. "Besides, I'd give you all at least the benefit of daylight to find. I run a seven minute mile, you know."

"Get it down to five-fifty and you might actually make it out of town before I could catch up." When she turned to face me again, she almost wore a look of shock, squinting as she assessed me.

Anyone else looking at me like that would've pissed me off, but I wasn't angry with her. It was something different, something I couldn't really recognize. _Well I sure hope I meet your standards, princess._ She considered me a moment longer, then nodded at the empty space next to her.

"You wanna sit?" I didn't, because then I'd actually get to know this girl and I wouldn't be able to despise her just for being here. I felt stupid as I leaned down, sitting next to her on the step, slightly too close.

She opened her mouth to speak again, brows furrowed. I could see her lips move, mouthing words that looked vaguely like Karo and Sonja, then stuck on the next name. "It's… Dimitri, right?" I couldn't help myself from smiling, the corners of my mouth pulling back.

"Yeah," I began, deciding to help her out. "I can teach you how to tell my sisters apart." I offered, teasing.

"I'll probably need it," She said, a wry smile crossed her face. She tossed a glance at the door, her smile turning sad. It was like a switch flipped in her. I could tell she was replaying a memory in her head, and not a good one, by the look of it. I was familiar with the feeling. Her voice dropped as she spoke again, just above a whisper, like she was afraid to tell me. "Your family is lovely, you know."

That wasn't what I had expected her to say.

It was too thoughtful, too _knowing_ for a girl her age.

"Thank you," I returned, equally as quiet, and she seemed contemplative once again. If I could read her mind, what would I see? A girl who spoke from experience, or the opposite, a girl who'd never known love like that in the first place?

We fell into a silence, but it was comfortable, as though this wasn't our first time meeting. She was the one to break it, wandering off the porch and further into the yard, squinting at the sky.

"You get different stars than we get out in Pennsylvania," she told me, the gusto of a girl bragging about her mile time returning. She twirled, her hands stretched out, one eye closed. "A friend of mine taught be how to use my hands to measure the night sky. Helps you find constellations." She was smiling wide was she spoke.

"And you like ours?"

"God, yes. You get so many up here. The stars are so clear." She paused for a moment, remembering, again. "My friend would've loved it up here." She said, before returning to sitting at my side.

"Do you think you will?" She looked at me strangely. I clarified. "Love it here, I mean."

She sounded guarded when she spoke again "What your family is doing for me is very kind."

"But that's not what I asked." She squinted at me, yet again. She didn't know what to make of me, which was fine, because I have no damn clue what to make of her.

"I guess we'll find out." I nodded in response to that._ I guess we will._

I stood, reaching my hand out to her.

"You coming?"


End file.
